August No 1 - Yipeee Holiday month!!

This month's exhibition at Studio three is very eye catching. In line with the Chinese Olympics Studio three present's Chinese Brush paintings by Claire Seaton and Paul Maslowski. Claire and Paul belong to a group of well practised brush painters, who meet at Oadby, Leicestershire and Grendon, Northamptonshire. They have very different styles and the work is very effective. Paul's style is more graphic, and Claire captures the vulnerabilty of animals with ease.

Meanwhile, on the illustration front, at last I found my third dummy baby book, which had been hiding from me for about a month, and so promptly sent it off to another publisher. The counting book is almost done, how many times have I written that? But I think by the end of August it should be there.

Lots of painting sales in July which is good news, and a sale to the US.

The stairs for the loft have been purchased, hopefully they'll arrive next week and then we can get them fitted. After that there's some electrical work to do, some insulating and then my new workspace is ready.

Hoping to go to a SWCBI event in Birmingham in September, which involves a critique, and am looking forward to going to Bologna book fair next year.

Hoping to find time to include a paypal button on my web page to encourage more UK sales, and will be sending out my catalogues soon. So much to do, and everything seems to take so long. I've made a massive improvement to my laptop by buying more RAM, I've wasted so much time in the past just waiting for the laptop to do its stuff. But no more!!!

www.studiothreegallery.co.uk

Check out other fabulous UK artists selling on the web at http://uketsysellers.blogspot.com/

Where's the sun?

And where did this month go?

Studio three has been busy with lots of interest.

We're in the paper again this month, promoting Liz Kearsley's exhibition.

I sent off to 2 publishers this month, but although decisions have been made regarding my work in progress counting book, I still haven't DONE ANY OF IT!!

I have spent nearly a week doing my accounts. After the break in at the Yard, my accounts disappeared with my old laptop. I'm so relieved to get them finished. I am now teaching piano again to earn extra income.

A major catastrophie this week.....A large canvas leapt off the wall and crushed an acrylic print. This is the first time anything has been damaged at the gallery. Even my burglars were careful with the art.
I sold from my etsy site again, and to the US as usual. I have looked into including paypal on my own web page, so soon hope to be selling to the UK too.

Progress is being made at home with my new studio workspace. The floor is down and the window in, now we need some stairs.

My exhibition continues at Magnolia Studios, Northampton. The Vietnamese landscapes have a whole room to themselves.

http://www.magnoliastudios.co.uk

http://www.studiothreegallery.co.uk

July 1 Celebration

Its July!!!!My birthday month Yippee!!!!

The new book is almost finished, just some refining touches to take care of. I'm on the verge of sending out to another 2 publishers, but it seems to have taken me an age to print out my dummy books, and I have now run out of card!!
So Wellingborough Open judges rejected me, I've been to see the artwork that made it onto the wall, and cannot recall seeing any collage anywhere. Its obviously not their bag.
I do have some work on display at Chichele however. A couple of black and white pieces from my trip to New York. There would have been some at Piddington Church too, but I just couldn't deliver it in time!!
It feels such a long time since I produced any new artwork. Its all been photoshop work lately. I can't wait to get my hands sticky with glue again!
I sold a piece at the Oxfam Charity Auction at Waterstones in Nottingham, so was delighted about that. It was the sunset at Ha Long bay, a limited edition print which has sold 5 times now.
Studio three has been much busier lately, especially after a recent promotion at the local school fete. We have some new artwork in from Helen D Moore, who trained originally as a silversmith, but now works in print (etchings to be specific). I have some of her animal prints and they are completely GORGEOUS.
Another regular artist popped in today, flashing her new photographs of water lillies and seagulls. The water lillies will look stunning on a canvas.
Meanwhile,the Liz Kearsley exhibition is still running, with photographs from Australia, Ghana, Canary Islands, Gibralter, The Carribean, Holland, and Singapore.
My Vietnamese limited edition prints are now on display at Magnolia Studios, Billing Road, Northampton and will be there until the end of August.

June 2008 No 2 Dog's Dinner

Since last writing in my blog, I was bitten through a letterbox whilst delivering leaflets, by HIGGINS. For all I know, Higgins could be a sabre toothed tiger, as never laid eyes on him. However, he has redeemed himself by sending me these flowers and a cute note.

My God it was painful. I screamed but nobody came, and I couldn't leave, with my hand stuck through the letter box and Higgins dangling from it on the other side.

The following week, not to be put off, I tackled the leafleting again, only this time, having been pyschologically disturbed, I decided to leave any tricky letterboxes with leaflets hanging out rather than risk another nibble.

And so I get an abusive message left on my mobile, from a neighbour hood watch enthusiast. I can't win.

My faith has been restored as Higgins and his owners are putting up a notice and a cage (on the back of the letterbox, not around Higgins). Tomorrow, I'll be back to check.

All my illustrations for the book are finished, just the front cover and end pages to go now, and then an assembly exercise. I finally managed to hook up to my studio printers again, after my old laptop was stolen, and can now print in colour and black and white, but cannot scan as yet.
I am now ready to contact agents, methinks.

The Vietnamese exhibition was swiftly moved from Northampton Jesus Centre to Rothwell with no real problems, other than they wouldn't let me in at Rothwell. Once they had granted me admittance, they were very nice to me.

I managed to get chosen for the Chichele Open, but sadly nobody bought it. Its only my second group exhibition so I'm learning as I go along. I also exhibited over at Brixworth, where they had record sales over the weekend, but again, not with my work.

Next on the agenda is the Wellingborough Open and Piddington Church, and Chichele again with a different group of artists. I think the Kettering open ends soon, so I will be off to collect more work that didn't sell.

Liz Kearsley's exhibition is now up at Studio three and looks great. She is showing photographs from all over the world. In fact, Studio three has had an overhaul, everything has been moved on the walls and it looks lovely.

I'm still adding to the number of items for sale on my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5661497. The latest editions include a Penguin children's nursery print and a Panda. These are from the book I'm currently working on, the images from my nearly published book are on there too.

http://www.studiothreegallery.co.uk

June 2008 No 1 Welcome

Welcome to my first ever blog. I plan to include news of my successes and failures working as an illustrator, and any exciting events that happen at Studio three.
Having just returned from a recent visit to Paris,
I have a lot of catching up to do. I found yet another returned set of books on my desk, from a publisher I didn't even remember sending out to.

The Plan.....
First of all, the Gallery has now been made more secure following the recent break in. Thankfully, my unexpected visitors were appreciative of art and carefully lifted paintings out of the way, rather than damaging anything. They helped themselves to my profit for the week (which was negligible of course!) and an ancient computer with my accounts for Studio three on. I can't face tackling re- hashing them just yet.

Meanwhile I am still ploughing my way through a new counting book, which I want to get a bit further along the line with before approaching prospective agents. After my recent disappointment with Barefoot books, after a 6 month wait, I have finally given in, and accepted that an agent would know where to send all this stuff to.

I'm also building a database of galleries to send out to, and have only got as far as 'F' so far....

Today is handing in day at Chichele College (Chichele Open), so I have to get that ready, and its also leafleting day and its a bit rainy, lucky me.

At the end of the week I have to take down my exhibition at Jesus Army Centre, Northampton in time to put it up again at Rothwell Library next week.

Liz Pops in at the Weekend to bring her Photos for exhibition at Studio three for all of June and July, so its the last chance to see Rae Flack and Charlotte Basson this week.

Thanks Fraser for persuading me to BLOG.

http://www.studiothreegallery.co.uk/

http://studiothreegallery.co.uk/